The top top American collegians selected to represent the United States will begin play in the fourth annual Master’U BNP Paribas, an international collegiate competition held December 9-14 in Poitiers, France. The event features eight teams composed of college and university players from around the world.

The U.S. will be competing for the second consecutive year against a talented field that includes teams from Belgium, China, France, Germany, Great Britain, Ireland and Mexico. The teams will compete in a best-of-seven format consisting of two men’s and two women’s singles matches, one men’s and one women’s doubles match, and one mixed doubles match.

The team will be coached by Michelle Dasso, the head women’s tennis coach at the University of Illinois who also served as coach for the U.S. at the 2008 Master’U BNP Paribas, and Greg Patton, the head coach of the Boise State University men’s tennis team.

The U.S. team was selected through a joint partnership between the USTA and the ITA using the following criteria:

The top American male and female finishers at the 2009 ITA All-American Championships

The top male and female American applicants in the 2009 Men’s and Women’s ITA Preseason Division I Singles Rankings

Remaining roster spots were selected by a committee of USTA Player Development and ITA coaches and staff

Johnson, a sophomore from Orange, Calif., reached the semifinals at the 2009 D’Novo/ITA All-American Championships and is No. 18 in singles and No. 3 in doubles in the ITA Preseason Division I Rankings. Krajicek, a junior from Brandon, Fla., is No. 30 in the ITA Preseason Division I Rankings and reached the doubles final at two USTA Pro Circuit events this summer, capturing the title at the $15,000 Futures in Loomis, Calif. Quigley, a sophomore from Pewee Valley, Ky., reached the singles and doubles quarterfinals at the 2009 D’Novo/ITA All-American Championships and is No. 24 in the ITA Preseason Division I doubles rankings. Both Johnson and Krajicek were members of the 2009 USTA Summer Collegiate Team, an elite training program funded by the USTA to provide top American collegians with valuable exposure to the USTA Pro Circuit in a team-oriented environment.

Falconi, a sophomore from Jupiter, Fla., won the 2009 Riviera/ITA All-American Championships and captured USTA Pro Circuit titles at $10,000 events in Atlanta and St. Joseph, Mo. Frilling, a sophomore from Sidney, Ohio, was the ITA Summer Circuit doubles champion and is No. 20 in the ITA Preseason Division I Rankings. Whoriskey, a junior from East Sandwich, Mass., won the doubles title at the 2009 Riviera/ITA All-American Championships and reached three USTA Pro Circuit finals (one singles and two doubles) this summer. Falconi and Whoriskey were members of the 2009 USTA Summer Collegiate Team.